


Black Licorice

by Smashbeak



Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: Almost Kiss, Comedy, M/M, Minor Le Chèvre/El Topo, One Shot, Teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:22:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28225326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smashbeak/pseuds/Smashbeak
Summary: Mime Bomb hates black licorice. Neal discovers this and hijinks ensue.
Relationships: Mime Bomb/Neal the Eel (Carmen Sandiego)
Kudos: 42





	Black Licorice

Mime Bomb never liked black licorice. Since he was a child, he would wrinkle his nose at even the sight of it. He hated the bitter taste. He hated the sweetness trying to trick him into thinking it's a good candy. He especially hated how it's sometimes paired up with red licorice. Red licorice actually tasted good. It was all sweet and had a more appealing color. It reminded him of summer sunsets and those bright red ribbons on Christmas presents. Black licorice only reminded him of burnt food and gum stained sidewalks.

It didn't surprise him in the least when he found out that Neal the Eel enjoyed the heck out of them. If anything, Mime Bomb found it to be quite fitting. To him, Neal was tricky and disgusting. Of course he would enjoy something that was just like him. Mime Bomb discovered this when he and the usual group of VILE operatives were relaxing in their usual spot. It was a small lounge room in VILE headquarters where operatives go to await their next caper. The people currently in the room were Tigress, Le Chèvre, El Topo, Paper Star and of course, Mime Bomb. Tigress was sitting cross legged on the sofa in the back of the room. In the front of the room was another sofa where Paper Star was laying. She was repeatedly tossing a paper shuriken into the air and catching it as it fell. Le Chèvre and El Topo were sitting opposite of each other in two of the four easy chairs. Between them was an end table where the two were playing cards. Mime Bomb was squatted down to simulate sitting on an invisible chair. His eyes were closed and his breathing was slow in meditation. It was at this moment when Neal walked in through the door with a small bag of candy in one hand. He popped one in his mouth and noticed Paper Star on the sofa directly next to the door. 

"Want one?" Neal asked as he held the bag out to the bicolor haired girl.

Paper Star stopped tossing the shuriken and turned her gaze towards the kiwi.

"Are any of them wrapped in paper?"

Neal furrowed his brow in confusion and looked into the bag.

"Er...no…?"

"Then no, thank you." Paper Star replied as she immediately went back to playing.

Neal pursed his lips and shrugged dismissively as he approached Le Chèvre and El Topo. The two men looked up from their game as Neal held the bag out to them.

"Want some?"

"Eugh," Le Chèvre groaned, "No thanks."

"I'll have a couple," said El Topo as he reached into the bag.

Neal smiled and let the Spanish man take as much as he wanted. El Topo took out two long pieces much to Le Chèvre's surprise. As Neal walked away he heard a bit of conversation between the duo.

"You actually enjoy that stuff?" Le Chèvre gasped.

"It's not that good," El Topo replied, "but I had the munchies."

"El Topo," chuckled Le Chèvre, " _vous beau glouton_."

" _Descarado cabro_ ," retorted El Topo. 

The two operatives laughed and carried on with their card game. Neal was now standing in front of Tigress offering her the candy.

"Some for the pretty kitty?" he inquired.

Tigress took one look at the bag and scowled.

"If you dare try to trick me into touching those greasy mitts of yours, I will claw you where the sun don't shine."

"Don't threaten me with a good time," Neal joked with a wink.

"Ew," spat Tigress, "Whatever. I'll take one if you just leave me alone."

As the blonde daintily took a round piece between her claws, she glanced over at Mime Bomb who was a few feet to her right. She remembered a certain something about him and a smile crept onto her face.

"You know who really likes these?" she whispered, "Mime Bomb. He's crazy for the stuff. I'd be surprised if he didn't snatch that bag away from you, he loves them so much."

Neal looked over at his favorite operative who was still "sitting" in silence. The Eel quirked an eyebrow and grinned.

"Does he now?" he declared, "In that case, I better be generous."

He withdrew the bag and sauntered over to where the mime was. Tigress placed the sweet on her tongue and eagerly waited for the discourse to unfold. Mime Bomb inhaled through his nose and got a faint and familiar smell. Curious, he opened his eyes to see a bag of the horrid black licorice held out to him. The redhead reeled back and fell flat on his bottom. The resulting pain was nothing to his disgust at what he saw. He looked above the bag to see the face of the person holding it.

Neal the Eel! He should have known. Only a trickster like him would insult him like this. 

"What's wrong?" Neal frowned, "I thought you liked them. Tigress over there told me you…"

That was when the realization set in and Neal slowly turned back to Tigress. As expected, she had a smug smirk on her face.

"Aaaah," he mused, "So that's the cat's cradle."

Mime Bomb rolled his eyes and slumped his shoulders.

"Sorry, pussycat," Neal teased as he crouched to get closer to the mime, "but no animal can get under someone's skin like an eel can."

Neal took out a round licorice with his pinky and ring finger and rolled it across his fingers until it was between his thumb and index finger. He presented it to Mime Bomb and his smile widened a bit.

"I don't know about you," he stated, "but this is my favorite treat. It's fragrant, smooth, and is really sweet once you get past the bitterness."

Mime Bomb aggressively exhaled through his nose and he turned his head away. He held his arms up in the shape of an X.

"Still no, huh?" sighed Neal.

He stood back up and turned away.

"Well, if that's your choice then I'll just…"

Neal cut off that sentence before spinning back around and tossing the licorice to Mime Bomb who was quick to catch it. The redhead looked at it for a second then flicked it away. Neal snapped his fingers in temporary defeat.

"Nuts," he hissed, "Almost had it."

Mime stood up and crossed his arms. Neal narrowed his eyes and took a long piece out of the bag. It was around that time that everyone else in the room began to notice what was going on in the corner.

"Great job, Tigress," Le Chèvre sarcastically applauded, "You got two of VILE's greatest operatives acting like children. What an astonishing achievement."

"I don't want to be rude or anything," added El Topo, "but that's pretty petty of you."

"I think it's funny," giggled Paper Star as she watched the conflict.

Tigress didn't respond to any of them and simply turned back to Neal and Mime Bomb. They were in the middle of a scuffle with Mime Bomb trying to get away and Neal trying to force one piece of licorice into the other's mouth, dropping the bag in the process.

"Come now, it's not that bad," reasoned Neal, "When was the last time you even had one of these?"

Mime Bomb looked for any opening to escape through and noticed that Neal's legs were spread apart. A painted smile formed and the mime dove to slide under the Eel. Neal quickly caught on and closed his legs. Mime Bomb was caught mid slide and his hips were trapped by the taller man's calves.

"HA!" Neal hooted in victory. Thanking his lucky stars for his contortionism, he bent all the way back and craned his head to come face to face with Mime Bomb. The mime scowled in contrast to Neal's signature buck toothed grin. Neal held a fist out to Mime Bomb and opened it to reveal the licorice.

"Now," he demanded, "try it."

Mime Bomb certainly wasn't having that. He twisted his body to the side and pushed himself free and back to the wall. At the same time, Neal growled and put the licorice between his teeth. He lifted himself up and managed to grab both of Mine Bomb's wrists. To further ensure there was no way out, Neal placed his feet on top of Mime Bomb's. Neal's breathing was heavy as he was catching his breath with the candy still in his mouth. Mime Bomb wore a look of absolute shock. He tried to move his hands and feet but the sticky material on Neal's palms and soles prevented him from doing so. The mime had no choice but to stand and wait. Everyone else in the room was shocked as well.

Realizing how close he was to Mime Bomb, Neal couldn't help but grin. He stared into Mime's eyes and his smile faded. He had always thought Mime Bomb was the cutest out of the operatives he met, but this was the first time he had a chance to really look at him. 

Those eyes were as blue as sapphires in glass displays at a museum. His hair was as red as the velvet on royal upholstery. His face was as intricately painted as that of the most priceless china doll.

Realizing he was losing focus, Neal looked down at the licorice poking straight out of his mouth like a cigarette. Then he looked into Mime Bomb's eyes again.

"Go on," he softly whispered, "Take it."

Neal could see Mime Bomb was blushing because his ears turned a bright pink. It wouldn't have surprised Neal if he was doing the same. Mime swallowed and slowly leaned his head forward. Neal tilted his head to the side and inched his head forward as well. Mime Bomb parted his lips and gently took the licorice in his mouth, taking extra care not to touch lips with Neal. The black haired operative still held the other end in his mouth as he gazed into the mime's eyes. Everyone in the room was silent from the unexpected tension. Even Tigress had widened eyes and her cocky smile disappeared a while ago. Mime Bomb stared at Neal for a long while and waited for him to do something. Neal's eyes moved down, likely to look at Mime's lips. He kept his sight there for a second or two when all of a sudden, he smiled.

"There!"

With a sticky tearing sound, Neal pushed himself off of Mime Bomb, setting him free.

"Now was that so hard?" he asked with a wink.

Mime Bomb couldn't answer, of course, and not just because he was a mime. He stared off into space as everyone else went about their business. Neal picked up the bag of candy from the floor and sat down in one of the easy chairs where Le Chèvre and El Topo were. He took one last look at Mime Bomb and smiled before turning away to watch the card game play out. Mime Bomb snapped out of his shock and tasted the licorice still in his mouth. It was bitter, yes, but the sweetness now seemed to compliment it. As he began to chew, he rolled it across his tongue to get the flavor on every taste bud.

Before he knew it, the licorice was gone.


End file.
